Sakkarai or sweet Pongal is a traditional sweet dish prepared with split mung dal and rice. Jaggery is added for sweetness. Pongal is a harvest festival from the state of Tamil Nadu. Many rice-based dishes sweet and savoury are prepared during this three-day festival. This sweet Pongal is cooked in Andhra Pradesh also during Sankranti. Each and every family celebrate this festival by cooking and sharing various traditional dishes with family and friends
To make the sweet Pongal, rice and lentil are cooked together and melted jaggery/sakarai/chakrana is added. This dish has a porridge-like creamy consistency that gets its rich and aromatic taste with fried nuts, ghee, and cardamom powder. All these ingredients together make this sakkarai Pongal a complete and healthy meal
SAKKARAI PONGAL/HOW TO MAKE SWEET PONGAL
Prep time – 30 minutes (preparation requires soaking dal-rice)
Cook time – 20 minutes
Course – Dessert /Traditional Indian sweet
Cuisine – Indian (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh)
Author – Bharti Dhawan
INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
• Split mung dal – 1/2 cup
• Short grain rice – 1/2 cup
• Jaggery powder – 1 cup
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Water for jaggery syrup – 1 cup
• Water for rinsing and soaking dal-rice – as required
• Water for cooking dal-rice – 4 cups
• Cashew nuts – 8-10 nos
• Raisen/Kishmish – 8-10 nos
• Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE SAKKRAI PONGAL/SWEET PONGAL
1- Firstly, add jaggery powder and 1 cup of water to a saucepan and give a boil until it dissolves completely
2- Dry roast mung dal at medium flame until you feel an earthy aroma. Switch off the flame and allow dal to cool down
3- Soak dal-rice for 30 minutes in sufficient water
4- Add soaked dal-rice with 4 cups of water to a pressure cooker and give 3-4 whistles at medium flame.
5- When the steam is over, open the lid of cooker and mash dal-rice a little with the ladle
6- Keep a kadahi on flame with ghee. Add cashew nuts and fry until golden. Take them out to add them later
7- Now, add jaggery syrup to it by sieving to discard impurities
8- Now add cooked dal-rice and mix everything together.
9- Give a boil and add fried cashew, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix nicely
10- Super tasty and divine sweet Pongal is ready to enjoy
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